Eventually This will be a Build Journal, LOL!

Converting Cargo Trailers into TTTs

Eventually This will be a Build Journal, LOL!

Postby shootr » Wed May 23, 2018 10:55 pm

Me and the missus have had a lot of enjoyment with our Escape Pod 4x8 teardrop. But after cresting 50 years of life, having to be contortionists' in a tiny trailer, without a potty in the middle of the night, is just getting to be a bit less than blissful. (Thank goodness we like each other - a LOT!)

Image

Image

So I think I've settled on a 7' x 14' cargo trailer with the the V-nose front, a side door, and a rear ramp door as the starting point. Something like this:

Image

Being a bit of an obsessive/compulsive planner, I figured I'd share thoughts, ideas, and questions as I start to figure out how this is going to (hopefully) come together with you good people.

I dig any and all comments, feedback, cautions, warnings, et al! So if you see post after post, it's just so the various ideas can be commented on individually - and eventually a successful result might just be realized.
User avatar
shootr
Silver Donating Member
 
Posts: 236
Images: 8
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 10:38 pm
Location: Mesa AZ

Re: Eventually This will be a Build Journal, LOL!

Postby shootr » Wed May 23, 2018 11:28 pm

One of the biggies is a toilet, mostly for middle of the night convenience. I'd like to make a small water closet partition in the front left part of the trailer. Just large enough for a RV toilet with a waste tank underneath. (Now keep in mind the research on this has just BARELY begun!)

I'm not even sure how the RV toilets work - but I believe this is a popular one:

Image

https://www.campingworld.com/dometic-high-profile-300-gravity-flush-toilet-white?cvsfa=2734&cvsfe=2&cvsfhu=3538393837&gclid=CjwKCAjwopTYBRAzEiwAnU4kb9l5WEtgQSj0xHhXOPuq-2_HdGcZ7Hkv-ZUSJTxNTFgckJS7POlWQhoCjKkQAvD_BwE

So, I guess the foot pedal opens the little flapper to drop the waste, but how does the water work? I believe I have to have a pressurized water system (figuring 10-12 gallon fresh water supply tank - just for the toilet, the cooking area will have a separate water system) with a 12V pump system - but I've never seen or used one, so was wondering how that's "activated" when you're done with business. Does the foot pedal also open a water flush valve?

Without a toilet, we rarely use more than a few gallons of water on a 4-5 day trip, and it's usually not boondocking. So I think the capacities I'm thinking about are enough, what say you?

A really off-the-wall idea was possibly using one of those back-pack style bug/weed sprayer's that could be manually pressurized and plumbed to it.

Image

Maybe have it on a shelf above and behind the stool, with a quick coupler, so I can pull it down, refill it, and put it back. (It's late, so I get a little goofy right around this time... :? )
User avatar
shootr
Silver Donating Member
 
Posts: 236
Images: 8
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 10:38 pm
Location: Mesa AZ

Re: Eventually This will be a Build Journal, LOL!

Postby Iconfabul8 » Thu May 24, 2018 3:13 am

You can't go wrong on a 7X14. Should allow you to make a nice comfortable bathroom. At least that is my goal and opinion. In fact the whole justification to my building a ctc, was how small and miserable the bathrooms were in small camp trailers. Anyway, you are correct in that the rv toilet has a large valve that opens and lets the junk fall into the tank. If you have a pump and water tank in the trailer all you need to do is run a line to the john and you are good to go. Every time you flush a shot of water will swirl around the bowl and presto, flushed. In cold weather, if the trailer is all winterized, you can flush using a gallon of rv antifreeze and just pour some in as you flush. If for some reason you don't want to hook up water to the commode you can flush like this with water as well. One other thing, if you haven't purchased the trailer, you might look into one that has extra ground clearance. Things start hanging kinda low when your tank and plumbing are all under there. Having it all a little higher gives a little more piece of mind about running over something. Lots of people will do the axle flip thing after they buy, and that works. I went with a 45 deg down turn torflex. Others have ordered a straight axle and I guess that helps too. Good luck, Looking forward to your build!

My Roomy KYBO
User avatar
Iconfabul8
500 Club
 
Posts: 624
Images: 14
Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2016 6:15 am
Location: Southern Utah
Top

Re: Eventually This will be a Build Journal, LOL!

Postby hankaye » Thu May 24, 2018 8:43 am

shootr, Howdy;

Welcome to the fun stuff!

Yup the peddle is the key to the whole operation. Push it down and that's
where the poo goes. Lift it with your toe and you can fill the bowel with,
you were correct, water that is pressurized form the trailer/boats fresh
water system. There IS a check valve to prevent any back wash from
contaminating the fresh water.
One major point you should be aware of is that you need to use more water
with these then the home units. The volume of water in the holding tank
is what creates the flow for discharging the tanks contents. RVers use the
expression "Water is your friend" when referring to the Black water system.
It's gravity that empty's the bowl, but it's the volume of liquid that voids the tank.

hank
Last edited by hankaye on Fri May 25, 2018 8:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
Striving for a less complicated life since 1949 ...
Every day I beat my own previous record for number of consecutive days I've stayed alive.
hankaye
2000 Club
2000 Club
 
Posts: 2567
Images: 1
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 5:35 pm
Location: S.W. New Mexico
Top

Re: Eventually This will be a Build Journal, LOL!

Postby PrecisionLook612 » Thu May 24, 2018 5:23 pm

Iconfabul8 wrote: One other thing, if you haven't purchased the trailer, you might look into one that has extra ground clearance. Things start hanging kinda low when your tank and plumbing are all under there. Having it all a little higher gives a little more piece of mind about running over something. Lots of people will do the axle flip thing after they buy, and that works. I went with a 45 deg down turn torflex. Others have ordered a straight axle and I guess that helps too. Good luck, Looking forward to your build!

My Roomy KYBO


I second the higher ground clearance! I ordered mine with a drop axle being worried about overall height and when it was finally finished I realized the stabilizer jacks on the back were far too low. I got lucky and was able to work out a swap on a straight axle so all I lost was time but I should have just gone taller in the first place. The straight axle gave me an extra 4" and I only need a single step to get into the trailer now.
User avatar
PrecisionLook612
Teardrop Builder
 
Posts: 33
Images: 1
Joined: Thu Nov 23, 2017 6:28 am
Top

Re: Eventually This will be a Build Journal, LOL!

Postby shootr » Sat May 26, 2018 4:46 pm

Appreciate the info on toilet operation, seems easy peasy to set up and use.

Also the heads up on ground clearance. We don't intend to boondock off the beaten path, but that is a very prudent precaution for when we change our minds. I'm planning on taking the missus next weekend to go to some manufacturers/sales yards and see what is out there, how amenable they are to customizing (moving the front door position, the spring over, etc.) Pretty sure once she's climbed into one, the project can begin in earnest.

Image

Close, but not perfectly to scale, but have to start somewhere.

*Thinking a queen size futon for pulling double duty as a day couch/night bed. One of you geniuses welded up a beautiful design with steel and wood slats that is really what I'd like - much more stable than typical futon frame.

*Instead of a built-in kitchen, I think it would be cool to have a sink and stove on a rolling cart (maybe some counter space-but have to consider length for the following reason: We plan to use the ramp door as a "beach club", meaning using jackstands to hold the ramp level with the floor as a patio of sorts. Then if nice out I can roll the kitchen onto the deck to cook, or if chilly for breakfast or rainy - can still cook indoors with the bed folded up. Some removable screen panels and one of those magnetic walk-thru screen doors should help keep flies at bay. Our 10' pop up canopy should provide shade and rain protection over it too.

*For simplicity I'm trying to avoid extensive plumbing. The toilet would have it's own pressure/pump fresh water system and blackwater tank. This mobile kitchen would have a small water tank with some sort of pump/pressure system, and just drain into another holding tank/bottle. Just enough to wash hands, brush teeth, wet dirty dishes for cleaning, etc. The cooktop will be a Coleman Classic 2-burner that I have new in box for past few years. Original one is working fine but will sell with the teardrop when the time comes.

*I want to put upper cabinets above the kitchen all along the wall that has the door in it. Can see that area for dishes, linens, seasonings, utensils, etc. I'm hoping I can find a small wall-mount microwave to put in that area too (A full size is way to big). If not a sturdy shelf will suffice (miss not having evening popcorn sometimes-lots of seasonal fire restrictions in these parts).

*The toilet would be in a partitioned off area up front. Ideally dumping into a blackwater tank directly below, and the fresh water from a tank wall/shelf mounted in the room. (I'm still hoping the backpack sprayer tank idea might work - manually pump it up for pressure and voila!)

*I was thinking the little area in the v-nose might be good for a couple batteries and the power center. But again, in another thread, someone noted to keep an eye on weights and balances - something I hadn't considered until then, so maybe it will have to become a hanging closet for jackets.

*For clothes storage I want more upper cabinets above the bed. Maybe mount some sort of directional, focused reading lights under them so they concentrate light in the correct areas.

*This will have A/C, probably in the side wall, higher up, between the bed and toilet. Or maybe just one of these portables:
Image
Just a little hole to vent the heat and can better aim it if needed.

*I will be running a bit of electrical. I like having reading lights near the bed, overhead lights for general illumination, and a combination of 110V, 12V, and USB plugs spread around for charging duties (and the occasional margarita blender). Also porch lights and something to shine onto the beach club. I like the idea of (2) powered roof vents for something this size (Fan-Tastic) - but maybe 1 is enough.

That leaves a lot of floor space and some wall space - so that's a good thing. We don't go out for super long trips that we would benefit from a shower - if we do there is a hotel scheduled mid-journey. Soap, water, towels, and a great invention: "Dude Shower Wipes" get us by day to day mostly. Just going to mull over all the other great ideas people have done so storage and space is best utilized.
User avatar
shootr
Silver Donating Member
 
Posts: 236
Images: 8
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 10:38 pm
Location: Mesa AZ
Top

Re: Eventually This will be a Build Journal, LOL!

Postby hankaye » Sat May 26, 2018 9:28 pm

shootr, Howdy;

For a simple fully self-contained potty system check-out the Cassette models;
http://www.thepopupprincess.com/pop-up- ... er-toilet/
The Lady gives a good how to use it chunk of info.

hank
Striving for a less complicated life since 1949 ...
Every day I beat my own previous record for number of consecutive days I've stayed alive.
hankaye
2000 Club
2000 Club
 
Posts: 2567
Images: 1
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2012 5:35 pm
Location: S.W. New Mexico
Top

Re: Eventually This will be a Build Journal, LOL!

Postby Padilen » Sun May 27, 2018 6:22 am

I have a "wet" bath, 3 in 1. Tank shower, toilet. The 5 gallon black holding tank is the toilet mount. The grey water drains to ground or bucket.
https://youtu.be/MYQej2bWdQQ

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk
Padilen
Donating Member
 
Posts: 1536
Joined: Fri Jan 30, 2015 4:20 pm
Top

Re: Eventually This will be a Build Journal, LOL!

Postby McDave » Mon May 28, 2018 5:16 am

Also a "wet bath" style shower/toilet combo. Black tank only, 29gal. Shower (Gray) water drains to black tank or can be diverted to ground where acceptable. Fan/ light/ vent combo in bath and on demand hot water. Very, very handy. Makes all the difference in comfort level and ability to stay out for extended periods. I also use a Flush King rinsing valve to drain and rinse the tank. It works well if you back flush the tank by filling and emptying several times and then rinses the hose clean.
154632
The purple pods keep it all fresh and work to breakdown the solids.
154633
If the tank is just partly full from use, fill it with water before going to dump station. The motion will agitate the contents and help to create a liquid slurry that is easier to dump and rinse out completely. Venting the tank is crucial and placement of tank vent relative to roof vent is important to prevent unwanted scents from entering cabin. With a 25gal fresh tank, two people can have a weeks worth of Navy showers and flushes or more.

McDave
User avatar
McDave
Donating Member
 
Posts: 2288
Images: 412
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2015 5:21 am
Location: Tiny Town, Montana
Top

Re: Eventually This will be a Build Journal, LOL!

Postby shootr » Mon May 28, 2018 4:29 pm

hankaye wrote:shootr, Howdy;

For a simple fully self-contained potty system check-out the Cassette models;
http://www.thepopupprincess.com/pop-up- ... er-toilet/
The Lady gives a good how to use it chunk of info.

hank


Thanks Hank, I was wondering about these and wasn't sure about the cost - but vs. all the other plumbing, engineering, and fabrication - it's moved way up on the list.
User avatar
shootr
Silver Donating Member
 
Posts: 236
Images: 8
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 10:38 pm
Location: Mesa AZ
Top

Re: Eventually This will be a Build Journal, LOL!

Postby shootr » Mon May 28, 2018 4:45 pm

McDave wrote:Also a "wet bath" style shower/toilet combo. Black tank only, 29gal. Shower (Gray) water drains to black tank or can be diverted to ground where acceptable. Fan/ light/ vent combo in bath and on demand hot water. Very, very handy. Makes all the difference in comfort level and ability to stay out for extended periods. I also use a Flush King rinsing valve to drain and rinse the tank. It works well if you back flush the tank by filling and emptying several times and then rinses the hose clean.
154632
The purple pods keep it all fresh and work to breakdown the solids.
154633
If the tank is just partly full from use, fill it with water before going to dump station. The motion will agitate the contents and help to create a liquid slurry that is easier to dump and rinse out completely. Venting the tank is crucial and placement of tank vent relative to roof vent is important to prevent unwanted scents from entering cabin. With a 25gal fresh tank, two people can have a weeks worth of Navy showers and flushes or more.

McDave
Padilen wrote:I have a "wet" bath, 3 in 1. Tank shower, toilet. The 5 gallon black holding tank is the toilet mount. The grey water drains to ground or bucket.
https://youtu.be/MYQej2bWdQQ

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk


Me and the missus have talked it through a few times - we're just not envisioning long enough trips away from either a camp shower or a mid-trip hotel respite to warrant integrating a shower. The toidy is really just for middle of the night urges - since we usually are in a campground with toilets already. Our style of camping is tent camping - but with the comfort/security of hard walls, as well as being able to head out at the drop of a hat in a ready-to-roll unit.

Not saying it's carved in stone quite yet, but until I have the trailer in hand and I can just sit in it and plan then a shower is probably not in the cards.
User avatar
shootr
Silver Donating Member
 
Posts: 236
Images: 8
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 10:38 pm
Location: Mesa AZ
Top

Re: Eventually This will be a Build Journal, LOL!

Postby McDave » Tue May 29, 2018 12:11 am

The outdoor showers with a pop up type enclosure would eliminate the plumbing for the most part. The whole unit could be stored in the back of the truck. Fresh tank, pump, heater and a battery, then just the privacy tent. I did the tent camping when I was young and single and I loved it. But now I am old and I want to stay married so a shower is a necessity.

McDave

PS. That's probably the best avatar EVER! just sayin'...
User avatar
McDave
Donating Member
 
Posts: 2288
Images: 412
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2015 5:21 am
Location: Tiny Town, Montana
Top

Re: Eventually This will be a Build Journal, LOL!

Postby shootr » Tue May 29, 2018 9:52 pm

McDave wrote:The outdoor showers with a pop up type enclosure would eliminate the plumbing for the most part. The whole unit could be stored in the back of the truck. Fresh tank, pump, heater and a battery, then just the privacy tent. I did the tent camping when I was young and single and I loved it. But now I am old and I want to stay married so a shower is a necessity.

McDave

PS. That's probably the best avatar EVER! just sayin'...


Simple pleasures, amiright? :pipe:

The missus spent a good deal of last evening looking at other build journals - the shower is starting to creep up the list...Honestly, the plumbing of a shower and heater seems more daunting to me than any other project on a build like this. Fresh water tank, gray water tank, propane piping, pressurization system - this is going to take some research...
User avatar
shootr
Silver Donating Member
 
Posts: 236
Images: 8
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 10:38 pm
Location: Mesa AZ
Top

Re: Eventually This will be a Build Journal, LOL!

Postby shootr » Wed May 30, 2018 12:15 pm

When looking at trailers, would it be worth seeing if they would just leave the plywood off on the interior?

I read elsewhere that it may be (semi) structural - so it might compromise the strength of the shell. (I want something better than rough plywood as a finished wall)

Is something like 1/4" Luan (clear or tinted finish to bring out the grain) a possible alternative?

Also, how do I know if I need an extended tongue? I don't plan on having to do serious angles - so as long as it reasonably clears my bumper I should be OK, yeah?

Lastly, how come so many seem to have nothing but a narrow strip of ply running front to back on the ceiling? Structural concerns or?

Thanks.
User avatar
shootr
Silver Donating Member
 
Posts: 236
Images: 8
Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 10:38 pm
Location: Mesa AZ
Top

Re: Eventually This will be a Build Journal, LOL!

Postby flboy » Wed May 30, 2018 2:14 pm

You can ask, but may not find any builder to leave off the plywood. It does provide some strength to the structure. I asked and could not find anyone who would do it. You may get lucky.. a lot of builders out there. For siding, you can glue/screw any siding you want to the plywood. I used a beadboard. Some glue carpet, or etc. You could certaintly panel with luan and stain or etc.. I used Luan for the ceiling and painted white.

I find the longer tongue was a very desireable upgrade. It will back up easier and you can use the space later for storage and etc. For sure you won't have to worry about jackknifing the bumper into the camper.

I think the narrow strip of ply is so it is ever so slightly higher than the sides in the middle and the water find its way to the sides and does not pool in the center. At least I do not see any other reason for it. Maybe somebody else knows more on that. It does not appear structural. I have never seen them screwed in.

Just my thoughts.

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk
Don (Flboy)

YouTube Video of Finished 6x12 Trailer:
https://youtu.be/6_-8cVdWUIA
YouTube Video of 7*18 with 2ft V-nose Trailer:
https://youtu.be/MUcMM86LA2g
User avatar
flboy
Gold Donating Member
 
Posts: 4216
Images: 378
Joined: Tue May 15, 2012 6:13 pm
Top

Next

Return to Cargo Trailer Conversions

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests